Photo: Blue-winged Teal by Lynette Spence/Great Backyard Bird Count
Hello everyone,
I think the herons ate all the little silver fish that were in the pond in the Osaka Garden because we have fewer birds dining there these days and they’re no longer picking the fish out one after the other. I asked Lauren Umek from the Park District if they stocked the fish and she said that they did not, so it’s a mystery why they were there in the first place.
Unfortunately, Snowy Blue, our hybrid Little Blue Heron X Snowy Egret, was nowhere to be found. S/he was seen on Friday so perhaps s/he was there somewhere but just tucked away out of sight.
Although we were disappointed to miss Snowy Blue, we witnessed a wonderful show put on by 2 Cooper’s Hawks and 2 Broad-winged Hawks. The four of them were circling over the soccer field, harassing one another and displaying their magnificent flying skills. Thank goodness that Hal, aka the Hawk Guy, was with us to help with the ID of the Broad-wings because they are not a regular visitor to our area so most of us are not very familiar with them.
Other sightings of note were the heron trifecta + Great Egret and a group of 6 very small Wood Ducklings, which was a bit of a surprise this late in the season. We also heard 2 cuckoos but couldn’t find them. They sure are good at hiding!
BIRDERS: Hal, Lillian, Jim, Marian, Cheryl, Jennie, Mike, Leslie, Becky, Christina, Kim, Risa, Kaumudi, Eric, Marisa, Rob, Sarah, Jess, Clara, Karin.
TIME: 8:00am to 11:30am
WEATHER: warm and humid, becoming hot and humid as the morning progressed.
Compiler: Cheryl
Canada Goose Number observed: 15
Wood Duck Number observed: 13
Mallard Number observed: 6
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Number observed: 2 Heard by the entire group calling to each other on the Wooded Island. First heard by Hal C. And Eric G.
Chimney Swift Number observed: 27
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Number observed: 3
Killdeer Number observed: 1
Ring-billed Gull Number observed: 12
Caspian Tern Number observed: 2
Double-crested Cormorant Number observed: 1
Great Blue Heron Number observed: 12
Great Egret Number observed: 1
Green Heron Number observed: 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron Number observed: 2
Cooper's Hawk Number observed: 2, In air skirmish between 2 Cooper’s and 2 Broad-wings
Broad-winged Hawk Number observed: 2 Confirmed by Hal C. and Mike M.
Belted Kingfisher Number observed: 1
Downy Woodpecker Number observed: 1
Northern Flicker Number observed: 2
Empidonax sp. Number observed: 1
Eastern Phoebe Number observed: 1
Eastern Kingbird Number observed: 7
Warbling Vireo Number observed: 3
American Crow Number observed: 6
Black-capped Chickadee Number observed: 8
Purple Martin Number observed: 5
Barn Swallow Number observed: 23
Cliff Swallow Number observed: 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Number observed: 9
House Wren Number observed: 3
Gray Catbird Number observed: 6
Eastern Bluebird Number observed: 4, 1 adult, 3 juveniles
American Robin Number observed: 1
Cedar Waxwing Number observed: 3
House Finch Number observed: 6
American Goldfinch Number observed: 7
Song Sparrow Number observed: 3
Baltimore Oriole Number observed: 1
Red-winged Blackbird Number observed: 8
Brown-headed Cowbird Number observed: 2
Yellow Warbler Number observed: 3
Northern Cardinal Number observed: 1
Indigo Bunting Number observed: 2
If you’d like more information about a bird, check out the All About Birds ID guide:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/
Corrections, additions and comments are welcome.
Recordings are not used to attract birds.
The Walks are free and open to one and all. They are held year-round. Newcomers are warmly welcomed.
Saturday morning walks: Start at 8:00 a.m. and cover a distance of two miles. Birders walk from the meeting spot counterclockwise onto Wooded Island. Exiting Wooded Island at the south end, the birders walk along the soccer field and enter the south end of Bobolink Meadow. The Meadow’s path leads to the Music Bridge. After crossing the Music Bridge birders walk through the parking lot and around the Columbia Basin (North Lagoon) and return to our meeting spot. In late fall, winter and early spring, the birders check for birds on the lakefront at the Outer Harbor near LaRabida Hospital and the Inner Harbor after the Wooded Island walk.
Meeting Spot: Birders meet on the west shore of the Columbia Basin (North Lagoon). Park on Stony Island Avenue near 59th Street, walk east across the parkland area, then cross Cornell Drive to reach the spot.
Good birding everyone,
Jennie